Fire and police signaling apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. OROBBINS.

FIRE-AND POLICE SIGNALING APPARATUS.

No. 404,226. Patented May 28, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

ARTHUR O. ROBBINS, OF BROOKLYN, NEIV YORK.

FIRE AND POLICE SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,226, dated May 28, 1889.

Application filed December 2, 1887. Serial No. 256,737. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR O. ROBBINS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire and Police Signaling Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists of improvements in the signal-box apparatus of fire or police telegraph systems, especially the latter.

I make the operating portion of the signaling apparatus accessible outside the signalbox, so that any one who is able to get into the neighborhood of the box itself can send in a distress-signal, even though under restraint, such as would make it impossible for him to open the box with a key and start the apparatus.

My invention includes improvements in the details of the signaling mechanism itself, all of which will be fully described hereinafter, and more particularly pointed out in the claim. I prefer to use a signaling apparatus having two sets of gearing brought into operation by different movements of a shaft, one movement being designed to be applied to it by the police and the other by citizens needing help.

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of my signaling mechanism, showing the gearing on one side complete and on the other side in part. Fig. 2 is a plan showing the mechanism supported on the main shaft, that below the main shaft being omitted for the sake of clearness. Fig. 3 is asection on line 0 0 of Fig. 2. Fig. at is a detail of a pair of catches used in my mechanism and the disk or segment which supports them. Fig. 5 is a section on line at xof Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 shows the exterior of a signal-box to which my mechanism is applied.

In the drawings, A is the frame of my apparatus, and B the main or driving shaft thereof. On the shaft midway between the front and back walls of the mechanism is rigidly secured a segment, C, which separates my two sets of gearing from each other. The gearing on either side of this is exactlyidentical with that of the other, and consists of the following parts: the main wheel E and a ratchet, F, rigidly connected therewith, and a series of wheels and pinions, forming, with the main wheel, a complete set of gearing. ment of the said gearing is the wheel G, which is an ordinary notched wheel for sending a definite signal, and representing in this instance the number 4:3, which may be regarded as the box-number. This notched wheel is pressed upon by the conducting-spring H, and the two form terminals of an electric signaling-circuit.

It will of course be understood that the receiving apparatus for the signals sent over the circuit may be located either at the police headquarters, or at the various signal-boxes along the line, or at the headquarters of the fire department, or at the engine-houses. I prefer in a police-signaling system to have the signals sounded at every police-box, so as to call the attention of officers near at hand to the distress-signal. The signals may, however, be received at police headquarters, and help may be sent out from there.

The mechanism on the other side of the segment is exactly like that just described, except that the signal-wheel is notched to represent an arbitrary number-signal, as S), in addition to the box-signal, the reason for which will be explained hereinafter.

Besides the gearing above described, there is on each side of the segment a lever carrying a weight, the lever and weight on one side being lettered, respectively, I and I, and those on the opposite side being lettered J and J. The construct-ion of these levers and their relation to the segment and the parts supported thereby are exactly the same. Referring, for the sake of clearness, to one of them, as I, it is provided with an outwardly-projecting lug, L, to which is pivoted a dog, M, for engaging with the teeth of the ratchet F. It has also on its inner side next to the segment a projecting pin, 11, which passes into close proximity to the segment. In its normal po- One of the wheels operated by the movesitionthat is, in the position represented in l ig. 3, with the weight downthis pin stands immediately over a catch, o,which is supported within a slot, o, in the segment. The details of this part of the construction are illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

It will be seen that the catch 0 is pressed outward at the top by a spring, 3, which is attached to the catch and the segment, as shown in Fig. 4:. The catch also projects at the bottom beyond the opposite surface of the seg ment, but is held from goin too far by a pimp.

It is evident that by pressure suitably applied the catch 0 can be thrust inward, so as to be substantially ilush with the face of the segment. This pressure may be applied either directly against the upper partof the catch or against the lower part on the opposite side from that on which the catch projects. Now, inasmuch the segniient is fixed to the shaft, it will turn whenever the shaft is rotated. Suppose, now, that the shaft is given a partial rotation, say, to the right in Fig. 4. The weighted lover I will be lifted through the catch. 0 and pin '6. As soon,l;0'.vever, as the lever has been lifted far enough to carry the dog M back-of the next tooth on the ratchet the lower projecting portion of the catch 0 comes into contact with a stationary releasing device, V, behind the segment and throws the catch out of engagement with the pin, leaving the gearing free to be rotated under the influence of the weight 1. The weight of course has control of the gearing through the dogand ratchet above described.

The device V is, in the form of apparatus illustrated, formed on the rear of the weighted lever, which is not .in operzdion, so as to pro- ,iect into the path of movement of the rear projecting portion of the catch. The shaft B has a pin, (1, projecting from it, to which is attached a spring, 71, which tends to draw it into a vertical position.

The handle T is keyed upon the shaft, so as to stand in a horizontal position when the pin. b is \"ertical-that is to say, when the shaft is in its normal place. by turning the handle to the right the operation already detailed. will. be gone through with, and one or the other of the two signals of which the box is capable will be sent in. By turning the handle to the left the other set of gearing will be operated. and the other signal sent in. The notches on the ratehetewheels are so arranged that the dog will catch into each succeeding iioich on an eighth revolution of the shaft.

l accordingly arrange stops 1/ u on the face of the frame A, so as to limit the movement of the shaft in either direction from normal position to one quarter revolution. The steps a a stand in the patlrof the pin 7.) and. prevent the motion of the shaft beyond the limit.

I prefer to have the turning of the handle downwardthat is, to the right0perate to send in the box-n umber, and this is the signal which it is expected that citizens in distress will send. To that end I put on the outside of the inclosing-box directions to this effect: Pull down as :far as possible and release. The other signal, as 9, plus the boxnumber, is intended to indicate that an officer is in need of assistance, and it is expected that such a signal will only be sent in by members of the police force. To this end the police will be privately instructed to turn the handle to an upri it position when they desire help.

The circuit-wheels and their eorrespondin conducting-springs maybe arranged. to act either as eircuit-breakers or circuit-closers, so as to be applicable to an open or closed circuit system.

It is evident that the part which I have called a segment may be in the form of a disk or in the form of a double segment, one of the parts thereof containing one of the catches o and the other coi'itaining the sec ond catch.

I do not wish to confine myself to the use of a weight for operating the signaling meeh anism, as it is evident that a spring would serve the same purpose.

Having described my invention, what I claim is In a lire or police alarm signal-Mix, the cmnbination, with two signaling devices for sending definite signals and separate trains of gearing therefor, both loosely mounted on the same shaft, of a weighted. lever for operating each train, and a disk or segment fixed to the shaft between two lovers, the said disk or segi'nent being movided with a pair of catches to engage with the lOSPOCtlXO levers, whereby, by moving the shaft in the proper direction, either weight may be bri'iught into operative connection with its train, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed. my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANiIIIUZH. (J. THU] nuns. itnesses:

Wu. A. ROSIGNIM on, G. H. S'IYOUKLHUDGIC.

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